Straight From a Hallmark Card
by taylorash
Summary: Johnny Depp, burritos, and cheesy Hallmark sayings. Before Rory becomes a Huntzberger, mother and daughter talk about life, love, and strippers. Implied Rogan. Oneshot.


Something that came to me in the dark of the night.

Oh, and for anyone who reads it, **Regrets** will be updated fairly soon.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing except my dignity.

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_Johnny looked lovingly into her deep, cerulean eyes, wet with unshed tears. Smiling at her, he slowly bended down on one knee and uttered the words she had been waiting for._

_"Will you marry me?"_

_Rory squealed in happiness, jumping out of her seat to knock him over in a hug. "Of course!"_

_His smile grew bigger as he took the ring out of the box, placing it on her finger. "Psssssssst," he whispered in her __ear._

_Her smile faltered slightly. "What?"_

_"Psssssssst," he whispered again, leaning in to kiss her._

_She pushed him away, looking at him in confusion. "Johnny?"_

_All of a sudden Johnny whacked her on the side of the head. Seeing her shocked expression, __he grinned__. "And really bad eggs."_

"Rory! For the love of coffee, would you wake up already!?"

Rory's eyes opened slightly at the sound of a distant voice. "Mmmmpf," she mumbled incoherently, and, not hearing any reply, she snuggled back into her pillow, eagerly awaiting dream state to overtake her once again so she could officially become Mrs. Johnny Depp.

Just as she could see his handsome features reappearing, she felt a thump to the back of her head. Sitting up in panic, she looked around her in half-asleep rage. "Mmm?"

She heard a sigh from next to her. "Geez, about time. You're worse then Luke, which, trust me, is nothing to be proud of."

Rory's vision became clearer, and she slowly saw what looked like Lorelai lying on the bed next to her with a seemingly annoyed expression on her face. "Mommy?" she asked-or mumbled really.

"Who else would be in your bed at," she peered at the alarm clock behind her, "8 in the morning?"

Rory opened her mouth to answer, but Lorelai cut her off. "Sorry, stupid question. Anyway, come on, get up!"

Rory flopped back down, closing her eyes again. "Pain," she growled. It was true; not too long after she saw her mother did a huge headache set in, making her head feel like it was imploding.

She heard her mother giggle. "Ah, yes, the infamous post-bachelorette party hangover. I, being the beautiful, smart, dazzling woman that I am, was smart enough to take aspirin before I passed out during mine."

Rory, now almost completely out of her sleeping haze, was brought back to her mother's bachelorette party from a few years back. She remembered her, Lorelai, Sookie, Lane, Miss Patty, Babette and others bar-hopping for several hours, before going to Miss Patty's dancing studio. She remembered Babette hiring several strippers, all willingly giving the girl's lap dances. Most had graciously accepted, except herself. She then remembered everyone giving her mother dirty presents, before they all passed out on beanbags, Lane with a bottle of champagne still clutched in her hand. Scrunching her already closed eyes, she barley remembered a gruff man entering the studio in the wee hours of the morning, waking only her slightly out of her inebriated and sleepy state.

"Didn't Luke come in the middle of the night to give you aspirin, knowing you were going to have a killer headache the next morning?"

She knew her mother's smile had turned into a frown without opening her eyes. "Uh, maybe, not sure. That night is a total blur to me anyway," Lorelai said quickly.

Rory smiled, but it quickly disappeared when another blow of pain struck her head. "Owww," she moaned. "Mac and cheese."

"Sorry honey, but the only way you're getting any hangover food is if you get your butt out of bed."

Rory groaned again, but this time opened her eyes. Sitting up, she whispered a string of foul words as she slid out her warm cocoon of blankets and pillows and touched the hardwood floor of her apartment.

"You. Kill," she said, walking swiftly to the kitchen. Lorelai laughed, following her.

"That's mommy's girl. Now, there's some aspirin and water on the counter, and I got some burritos earlier this morning. And let me just say that it is _much _harder to get restaurants to serve you at six in the morning if the proprietor of said restaurant has never actually seen you in person."

Rory laughed, taking the aspirin. After swallowing the water, she looked at her mother who was searching through the fridge. "Let me guess, you called Hector's?"

Lorelai nodded, retrieving a white paper bag from the fridge and sitting at one of the stools at the island. "Yup. I knew that sending you in while I waited in the car when we went on that tour with Ava and Adolf was a bad idea. From now on, I'm coming in no matter how lazy I feel."

"Good plan," Rory nodded her consent, going over to the coffeemaker to pour herself a cup of coffee while her mother opened the bag of burritos.

"You know, if you two had moved to Stars Hollow, like I had suggested, then I wouldn't have had a problem getting us some early morning food."

Rory rolled her eyes as she got a mug out of one of the cabinets. "Mom, I already told you. We both wanted to stay in New Haven because of-"

"The paper," Lorelai finished for her. "I know, I know. I'm just saying, what is the Stanford-Eagle Gazette compared to me?"

As another hit of pain came to her, Rory growled. "It should be illegal to be in this much pain," she said, coming to sit next to her mother.

Lorelai shrugged, handing her a burrito before taking one for herself. "Yeah, well, part of your pain might be from the fact that I whacked you two times."

"Mom!"

Lorelai threw up her hands defensively. "Hey, if you didn't sleep like a rotting log I wouldn't have had to resort to it. What were you dreaming about, anyway? Anything dirty?"

Before Rory could answer, Lorelai spoke again. "Oh, god, wait. Maybe I don't want to hear it. Something tells me my poor little virgin ears wouldn't be able to take it."

Rory scoffed. "Yeah, right. You, virgin ears. Anyway, I'll have you know that my dream wasn't dirty at all. Johnny Depp was proposing to me."

Lorelai nodded in approval. "Very nice. That man definitely has a nice _mass-ass._"

Rory stopped mid-bite of her burrito to look at her mother in confusion. "A _what_?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "A Massachusetts ass! Geez, why does no one know what that is?!"

Rory shook her head dismissively, taking a bite out of her burrito. She sighed in contentment, feeling her pounding headache already subsiding slightly. "So, not that I mind, but what brings you to my humble abode so early in the morning?"

Lorelai gasped, mocking shock. "Lorelai Gilmore, fruit of my loins, do you not remember what day it is?"

Rory stared at her mother for a few seconds before it hit her. Jumping out of her seat, she knocked her burrito to the ground, her headache forgotten. "Holy shit! I'm getting married!"

Her mother looked at the clock behind them and nodded her head. "Wow, you beat me. I think that it took me a full hour to remember I was getting married on my wedding day."

Rory's heart was beating at an enormous pace as she looked around for her shoes. She had to pick up her dress and her bridesmaids, and then head to the church. She had to check in with Emily, who was probably ready to kill her for not calling her sooner. She also had to check in with Finn and Collin to make sure that the bachelor party hadn't left them so drunk they all wouldn't wake up in time for the wedding. She had to-

"Relax kid; it's only 8:45. The ceremony's at one, and mom said that she wants you at the church by ten. So we have time."

Rory paused slightly in getting dressed to look over at her mother. "Really?" she asked hesitantly.

Lorelai nodded. "Mhmmm. And I called Colin about an hour ago. After mumbling a few curse words at me, he reluctantly woke up the boys, and they should be nursing their hangovers as we speak."

Rory slowly came to sit back next to her mother. "You know, you're a very handy maid of honor."

"I know," she responded without a trace of modesty in her voice.

Rolling her eyes, Rory stood up, walking back to the bedroom. Lorelai smiled, following her soon to be married daughter through the short hallway. She halted outside the doorframe, while Rory slumped back onto the queen-sized bed.

"I'm getting married," she said to herself. "In just a few hours. Me. Married."

"I know, I'm shocked too," her mother said jokingly, coming to lie beside her, once again, in the bed. They both were silent for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling, before Rory spoke.

"You know, I always pictured this day happening when I was in my thirties. You know, successful job, steady income, making a name for myself in journalism."

Lorelai leaned her head slightly to look at her daughter. "Nice plan. You reconsidering?"

Rory smacked her mother's arm. "No! Of course not. I'm just saying, I never pictured me here."

"Here?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Getting married in my early twenties with a job that pays less then the money I spend on tax to get there. A weekly byline that will most likely never get noticed by the New York Times."

"Geez, way to bring down the mood hon."

Rory giggled, ignoring her mother's comment. "And you know what surprises me the most?"

Lorelai looked once again at her daughter, who was still staring at the ceiling, a smile on her face. "What? The fact that we both left out cups of coffee in the kitchen? I mean, seriously, when have we ever done that?"

"That I'm happy. I'm really happy with all the decisions that I've made in my life so far. And I wouldn't trade my job and my life for being Christiane Amanpour any day."

Lorelai smiled. "That's good, kid."

"Yeah. You know, this whole falling in love thing worked out pretty well, don't'cha think?"

"What do you mean?"

Rory sighed. "I mean, I ended up with a great guy who I love more then the world, and would do absolutely anything for. And also whom I'm about to marry in just a few hours and spend the rest of my life with."

"Wow, that's something straight off a hallmark card."

Rory giggled, hooking arms with her mother. "Yeah, well, it's my wedding day. I think I'm allowed to be a little cheesy."

Lorelai nodded her head. The pair was silent for a few more minutes before Rory blurted out, "I hope he remembers his vows."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "He will."

"And the rings. I hope Finn remembers to bring the rings."

"He will."

"And if Colin picks up the wrong suits, I think I'll have a coronary. I mean, I gave him the paper with the order on it last night, but I doubt he kept it."

"He did."

What if-"

"Honey," Lorelai interrupted, "Calm down. Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

Rory paused before answering. "I'm nervous."

Lorelai smiled. "I know."

"Is it okay to be nervous?"

Lorelai nodded. "Of course. Every bride is nervous on her wedding day. Remember how Sookie had me breathing out of a paper bag two minutes before I walked down the aisle?"

Rory laughed at the memory. "Of course."

"It's going to work out, Rory. I know you're nervous now, and trust me, that feeling just going to get worse."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Rory sais sarcastically.

Ignoring her daughter's sarcasm, Lorelai continued. "But then, when Chris walks you down the aisle, and Logan lifts up your veil, you'll know."

"Know what?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Everything. You'll know it's right. That he's the one for you, and that no matter what happens, you'll always be okay, as long as you're together. And you'll be thankful for every moment you've had with him, whether it was bad or good, because they all brought you there."

Rory smiled. "Who's the cheesy one now?"

"Hey, as mother of the bride, I have some liability to be cheesy as well."

Rory sighed. "Mom, thank you. For everything."

Lorelai, knowing what she meant, simply pulled her daughter closer to her.

Rory sighed in contentment. She couldn't believe it was really happening. Peering at the alarm clock on the bedside table, she immediately bolted up. "Mom! It's almost 9:30!"

Lorelai looked at the clock also. Realizing the problem, she jumped up also. "Shit!"

Rory ran into her closet, throwing on the first clothes she saw. "I swear, when Grandma starts yelling at us, I won't hesitate to tell her it's your fault we're late!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she got dressed also. "Yeah, yeah."

As they were headed out the door, Rory quickly grabbed a pair of shoes. As she and her mother walked down the stairs, on their way to the limo waiting out front, something flashed through Rory mind that made her grab her mom's hand, stopping them both mid-step.

Lorelai looked at her. "What is it, kid?"

"What, um, exactly happened...you know, last night?"

Lorelai's look of confusion of anxiousness immediately disappeared, and a wicked smile appeared on her face. "Why do you ask?"

Rory screeched. "MOM!"

Lorelai slowly backed away. "Hey, you never said strippers weren't allowed!"

"I thought it was just a known fact!"

Lorelai giggled. "Would it help any if I told you that the one giving you the lap dance had an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp?"

"Yes, of course."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No! Mom, I can't believe you!"

"We don't have to tell Logan. Although, I bet Steph already has."

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm-"

"I get it," Rory said, cutting her mother off mid-rant. "Just, don't ever do it again, okay?"

"You mean on one of your many other bachelorette parties coming up in the near future?"

She sighed. "Okay, point there. You're forgiven."

"Thank you. Now come on," Lorelai said, pulling on Rory's arm to get her going again. Once they arrived at the limo that was waiting for them, Lorelai opened the door, letting Rory get in first. "Let's go get you married," she said, smiling as she closed the door behind her.

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Reviews would be nice.


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